On November 9, 2016, the Public Defender of Georgia appealed to the microfinance organization CC Loan with a general proposal concerning advertising of the quick loan service. The Public Defender considers that the commercials circulated by the organization on TV channels and via the Internet contribute to strengthening of negative stereotypes against transgender persons and people with financial problems.

One of the advertisements of Ltd. CC Loan contains a scene where people are engaged in the prostitution. The main character - a man is wearing a dress and a wig (presumably he is a grotesque transgender person). At the end of the advertisement, his mother calls him and he tells her that he has not time as he is working.[1] The second advertisement shows a woman who steals money from her child’s piggy bank, during which the surprised child enters the room. The mother tries to run away and frightens the child with spiders.[2] The third advertisement shows a grandchild who is taking his grandmother sitting in a wheelchair to a pawn shop. The grandchild leaves the wheelchair at the pawn shop and goes back home carrying his grandmother on his back.[3]

The Public Defender did not accept the organization’s argument that in the mentioned cases preference may be given to the freedom of expression over the prevention of encouragement of discriminatory stereotypes and called on CC Loan to remove the advertisements from the TV and Internet space, as well as to refrain from circulating similar advertisements in the future and respect human dignity during preparation of advertisements.